Signaling device for block systems.



No. 748,857. PATENTBD NOV. 10, 1903..

- M.'J. GALLAGH'ER.

SIGNALING DEVICE FOR 'BLUGK SYSTBMS.M

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 19, 1902. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

m n m am No. 743,857. PATENTBD Nov.. 1o, 190s.

. A M. J. GALLAGHER.

SIGNALING DEVICE POR BLOCK SYSTEMS.

APPLIGATION FILED DEG. v19, 19021.

A SHEETS--SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES vIhatented November 1z0, 1903i PATENT EEICE.

MICHAEL J. GALLAGHER, on

H AZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent N o. 743,857, 4dated November 10, 1903.

Application filed December 19, 1902. Serial No. 135,926. (No model.)

To w56 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL J. GALLA- GHER,a citizen of the` United States, resid ing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signaling De-v vices forBlock Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in devices for giving trains running 0n a sin-V gle or double track railroad intimation or no-- tice of the dangerous proximity of an approaching train entering or within the same` block or section through the medium of an audible oravisual signal located Within an enginecab and reliably operative by an organization of mechanical devices disposed in the center and at one side of the track on which the train receiving the signal is running.

The invention contemplates the provision of alternate connected mechanical devices,`V located at an intermediate point in a block or section and independent of similar Inechanical means at the beginning and termination of the same block whereby an engineer may be duly apprised of the presence in the same block of a second train after he has passed over the signal-actuating mechanism at one terminal of the block or section, par ticularly in single-track lines. f

The invention also contemplates the de-` tails of construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a single track, showing the improved mechanism arranged to indicate the opposite terminals of a block or section, the track and a part of the mechanism being brokenl through. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a single track and one set of the signalimparting devices. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a track-section, illustrating a block havingf the improved signal mechanism arrangedv therein at the beginning and ending of the block and also at an intermediate point.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate kcorresponding parts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a track of usual form and including rails 2 and ties 3. Rising from a number of the ties are uprights 4,

- having striking-levers 5, pivoted at the upper ends thereof, having down Wardly -inclined Y inwardly-dedected extremities 6, attached to a pull-Wire or analogous device 7. The pullwire or analogous device 7 passes around a Ahorizontally-disposed pulley 8 on one of the ties 3 at a distance from one of the terminal levers 5 and also engages a second horizontally-disposed pulley 9, supported at a distance in advance of the series of levers and from the latter pulley passes out in a plane at a right angle between two of the ties underone rail and is connected to a link 10. The member'of the wire or other device 7, which is directly attached to the striking levers, is passed aroundapulley lland from the latter extends outwardly in a plane at right angles and is connected to a link 12. rlhe links l0 and l2 are movably attached to the ends of a horizontally-disposed cenvtrally-fulcrumed lever 13, and also connected to the said ends of the'lever are motiontransmitting Wires 14 and 15, which respec tively pass around horizontal pulleys 16 and 17 and located at one side of the track. p

The motion-transmitting wires 14 and 15 Vextend any suitable distancel from the track ,by Fig l, and connect with a similar lever 13 at the end of the block opposite that at which the first-mentioned lever 13 is located. Con nected toeach of the links 10 and 12 and the adjacent ties are horizontally-disposed actuating-arms18 and 19, the one end of each arm being pivotally attached to the outer end of the'tie adjacent to the link and having a slot 20 therein, through which projects a stud 21,

secured to the link, the said slot 2O compensating for the movement of the link in oppo site directions to avoid breakage or injury to either of the actuating-arms by sudden contact therewith of a suitable projecting device, preferably carried bythe fender of a locomotive. The ends of each of the arms 18 and 19 opposite those pivotally connected to the ties have opstanding projections 22, on which are mounted horizontally-disposed antifrictional rollers 23, and said actuating-arms will be normally disposed so that one will be moved outwardly from and the other located in- Wardly toward one of the track-rails.

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The member of the pull-wire or analogous device 7, arranged parallel with the member of the same secured to the striking-levers 5, is also attached to similarly mounted and constructed striking-levers 24, which are'less in number than the levers 5.

The levers and 24 are located in the center of the track, and when elevated will project upwardlya sufficient distance to contact with an actuating means for a bell or other audible signal in an engine-cab and also with a depending device for actuating a visual signal-such as a light, semaphore, or analogous device-also located in the engine-cab, whereby the engineer may be duly notified either in daylight or at night when he reaches and passes over the mechanism set forth. The lower front portion of the catcher on the engine will be cut away or suitably grooved to avoid accidentally striking the levers 5 and 24 when elevated to their highest positions, and, as before indicated, the engine will also be provided on each side with means for contacting with the actuating-arms 18 and 19, said means being preferably carried by the forward wheel-fenders. The signal means and coperating devices which are actuated by the levers 5 and 24 need not be of any specie or special construction to render the said levers eective in their operation, as many forms of such devices or signals can be used;

but one form has been made the subject of a,

separate invention and application.

As before stated, the improved mechanism is adapted for use eitheron single or double track railways and, in fact, may be used on any railways having more than two trackbeds in contiguous relation, and if a train be running head-on in the direction of the arrow 25, Fig. l, the projection on the fender of the engine will strike the arm 18, then lying nearest to the one track-rail, and force said arm outwardly and exert a corresponding outward pull on the wire connected to the inner terminal of the link- 10, and thereby simultaneously throw all the levers 5 upwardly in position for striking a depending device from the engine-cab to actuate a bell or other audible signal. Simultaneously with this disposition of the levers 5 through the actuation of the arm 18 the other arm 19 will be forced inwardly close to the rail. By the outward movement of the link l0 the motiontransmitting Wire 14 will be slackened and the inward movement of the link 12 willexert a tension on the wire 15, which will cause an outward pull to be brought to bear on the link at the opposite terminals of the block and institute an inward throw or movement to the link at the said opposite end of the block and thereby also throw up the levers 5 at said latterblock end. The levers 5 thrown up at a distance from those first actuated by the train moving in the direction ofthe arrow 25 will remain in elevated position until depressed by the same train moving in the direction of the arrow 25 passing out of the block or by another train entering the block in the direction of the arrow 26, and if a train move in the direction of the arrow 26 the engineer of the same will receive a'signal from the upstandin'g levers 5 and be thereby notified that a train is within the block coming in the opposite direction and give him ample time to slow down or come to a stop and utilize the usual means of track-signaling by Hag or otherwise to notify the engineer of the train coming in the opposite direction of the presence of the second train in the block. lf two trains are moving in the same direction and one enters the block before the other, the engineer of the first train will set the levers 5 so that the engineer of the rear train on reaching the block will receive a signal through the medium ofthe upstanding levers that a train is within the block ahead of him. This block-signaling system is particularly useful on single-track lines and as thus far/iiwv explained is in its simplified form; but to ren'- der collisions, either head-on or rear, im/possible the arrangement shown by Fig. 5fis preferred, and consists in disposing the signal mechanism in operative relation to atrack-bed at the beginning of each block as well as the end of the same and also at an intermediate point, the intermediate mechanism of contiguous blocks being connected similarly to the mechanism at the beginning and ending of the blocks, so that in the event that a train after entering a block sets the signaling mechanism and passes the same and another train coming from an opposite direction depresses the levers 5 by contact with the same at the opposite end of the block the engineer first entering the block will be apprised of the entrance into the same block of the second train by the set condition of the intermediate mechanism, which will have been operated by the second train entering the block before reaching the one end of the latter and while in a contiguous or successive block.

The mechanism at each end of the block and also the similar mechanism located at points intermediate of the ends of the block will be connected for simultaneous operation, so that if said mechanism be actuated from either extremity the corresponding mechanism at the opposite terminal will be at once setto give the signal in an engine-cab. A plurality of the levers 5 is used in each instance, so as to give a successive signal or a continuous ringing of a bell within the cab and insure direction of attention to the same. The levers 24 are auxiliary in their use to the levers 5 and may at times be omitted; but these levers efficiently serve to actuate alightsignal at night in addition to the bell-signal operated by the levers 5, the one lever 24 first turning the light-signal in one position, and the other lever turning such signal in another position, such as bringing a white and red light alternately into view. These levers 24 normally stand upwardly and are depressed when the levers 5 are elevated, as

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it will not be necessary in all `instances to have the double signal.

The improved device Will be found exceptionally useful and Will avert serious accidents by collision, and it will be understood that changes in the disposition of the parts may be made at will Without departing4 from the spirit of the invention.

A material advantage in the improved signaling mechanism is that the parts thereof are of similar formation at each end of the block, and the cost of manufacture is thereby minimized in view of the fact that in applying the said mechanism it is only necessary to reverse certain of the parts to render the same equally applicable at either end of a block or to accommodate the intermediate arrangement shown by Fig. 3. Y

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new isi-'-A 1. In a signal mechanism for block systems,

a plurality of signal-levers located within a track and connected for simultaneous operation to give a repeated operation of a signaling device, the said levers being arranged in series at opposite terminals of a block, and means for raising and depressing the levers in an automatic manner.

2. A plurality of signaling-levers located Within a track and connected for simultaneons operation to give arepeated operation ef a signal device, and means for rasing'and "depressing the said levers in an automatic MICHAEL J. GALLAGHER.

Witnesses:

SvLvEsTER HOGAN, JAMES F. GALLAGHER. 

